(NEXSTAR) – The most common symptoms of the omicron variant of COVID-19 look and feel a lot like a cold or a flu: runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and sore throat. But there are lesser-known symptoms people are also reporting when they test positive for the virus, like itchy eyes, night sweats, nausea and vomiting.
Nausea and vomiting are both listed as COVID-19 symptoms by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the gastrointestinal symptoms are less common than respiratory symptoms.
Of the 43 first omicron cases the CDC confirmed and tracked in the U.S., eight people reported nausea or vomiting.
Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College in London, said he had noticed more reports of nausea and loss of appetite as omicron cases started to climb in the U.K. Among vaccinated and boosted people testing positive for the variant, “quite a few of them had nausea, slight temperature, sore throats and headaches,” he told Express.
A study by the U.K.’s Health Security Agency comparing symptoms of omicron and delta found the occurrence of nausea and vomiting was about the same with both variants. Diarrhea was slightly more common with omicron.
Another study published in October 2020 pointed out that even with the initial COVID wave in Wuhan, China, about 12% of a group of coronavirus patients reported nausea and 10% reported vomiting. The study pointed out there’s a danger that people who experience these stomach symptoms first may miss a COVID case early on, as they aren’t as publicized as signs of the virus.
If you’re feeling any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, the CDC recommends seeking out a test and staying away from others.
